I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
Proximity Matters
“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”
Proverbs 13:20 NIV
It makes sense, doesn't it? If you surround yourself with people making terrible decisions, it won’t be long before you start acting like them. Or you might be blamed for another's poor decisions simply by association. You will inevitably “suffer harm.”
We always want to love those who are far from God, but there’s a difference between loving someone and joining them. Instead, if you walk with the wise—watching, asking, learning, mimicking—you will also become wise in the process.
So what kind of person do you want to be? And who in your life would you call wise? Maybe it’s a parent, grandparent, pastor, or teacher. Maybe it’s your neighbor, coach, or someone else you admire for all the right reasons.
Whether it’s intentional or not, we are all being discipled by someone. So if you want to walk with the wise, proximity matters.
Meet them for coffee or lunch. Join them on a walk. Invite them into your home. Learn from their experiences. Read the Bible with them. Ask them questions.
Like Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise knowledge and insight.”
God is the wisest mentor of all. You can grow wiser this very day by talking to Him, learning from Him by reading Scripture, and spending time with others who long to be more like Him.
Remembering God
Have you ever been awestruck by a sunset? Or left speechless by the meticulous details of the living cell, the human eye, the mysterious ocean, or the vast universe? How often do you think about what God has made, or the ways that He has worked?
The psalmist Asaph, wrote:
“I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy, What god is great like our God?"
Psalm 77:12-13 ESV
One of the best things we can do is remember God—how He gives good gifts, writes the best stories, and is constantly making beauty from ashes. He created us, pursued us, and even gave His own life for us.
But remembering God takes intentionality.
Remembering God doesn't happen on accident, which is why we have to intentionally commit to reflecting on Him each day. Purposefully remembering God’s bigness helps us recognize our smallness. Deliberately recalling His goodness helps us understand our deep need for Him.
Pondering God’s work and meditating on ...
“And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Beth-el. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Beth-el. And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto him, ...
The Mission of God
All of our lives are spent on something. Most people spend their days focused on growing a family, building their career, or amassing possessions.
While none of those things are necessarily wrong, they can become distractions from our ultimate goal in life.
In the book of Acts, we see Paul’s transformation in Christ. As a result of meeting Jesus and being changed by His grace, Paul spends the rest of his life preaching the good news of Jesus.
For Paul, God’s grace and salvation are so great that nothing on this earth is as important as God’s work.
Paul says that nothing in His life matters as much as telling others about God’s grace. His goal in life was to finish his own race well by faithfully accomplishing as much of the mission of God as possible:
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace."
Acts 20:24 NIV
The mission ...
